Marc Krauss

NEW YORK -- It would have been easy for Brandon McCarthy to think he has a small margin of error with a three-run lead.

Instead, McCarthy treated his latest start like a scoreless game and remained locked in on the opposing hitters.

McCarthy's pitches carved up the Houston Astros in a four-hitter that helped the Yankees salvage the finale of a three-game series with a 3-0 victory on Thursday afternoon.

McCarthy (5-2) turned in his ninth career complete game and fourth shutout. It was his first shutout since May 18, 2013, in Miami with Arizona and this time he did with a Yankees offense that struggled immensely in the first two games.

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